House Panel Moves to Hold Barr, Ross in Contempt

The House Oversight Committee is moving to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas for documents related to the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, the AP reports. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the panel's Democratic chairman, said Monday that lawmakers will vote soon on contempt measures for both men. Cummings says their failure to respond to the subpoenas is "part of a pattern" by the administration to engage in a cover-up and challenge the authority of Congress to conduct constitutionally required oversight. Cummings says the cover-up "is being directed from the top," noting that President Donald Trump has vowed to fight all subpoenas issued by Congress. The committee approved the subpoenas in April. (More House Oversight Committee stories.)